Mum of 16 'feral' children in Ohio 'house of horrors' made desperate request to authorities
A mum of 16 children who’s been charged with 16 counts of child neglect for each of her children made a desperate plea to authorities.
Ohio resident Elizabeth Siders remains in custody at the Vinton County Jail on a $300,000 bond on charges related to her children aged between 18 months and 18 years.
Police suspect that the children have been living in a 12 feet by 12 feet faeces-covered-room for the past four years.
The 33-year-old was arrested on 30 June along with her husband, Gary Siders Jr., 36, and his parents, Gary Siders, 73, and Christina Siders, 67, all of whom have plead not guilty.
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According to a court filing reviewed by Fox affiliate WCMH, Siders asked to be released from jail last week.
J. Thomas Stolly, her lawyer, wrote: “Through conversations with Counsel, the Defendant maintains that her principal desire (is) to reunite with her children; she understands that reunification of any sort is an impossibility if she does not appear before this Court.”
The attorney argued it was a violation of the Eighth Amendment to hold Elizabeth Siders on what he said was ‘excessive bail’.
Stolly said his client doesn’t pose a threat, will be cooperative with law enforcement and would agree to wear a GPS monitor.
He told WBNS after meeting with Siders in jail that the living conditions were a result of extreme poverty as she still wants to look after her children aged 18, 16, 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4 (twins), 2 (twins) and 1.5 years (twins).
“She did not ask when she was getting out of jail. She did not ask what a timeline was for her to get out of jail. She started asking about the kids,” Stolley said.
“There’s no indication that the kids were not free to move about the home. There’s no indication from my conversations with my client that the kids were not allowed to go outside.”
“We’re still at the early stages of this criminal case,” he added.
“I have never seen anything like what I saw today,” Wilson said. “It really looked third world. It is not something we are used to seeing in America. I cannot get the smell off of me.”
Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain noted that ‘one of the investigative challenges is that [the children] are limited. They can communicate, but it’s extremely limited and some not at all’.
“It’s important that everybody is entitled to the presumption of innocence, Mr. Siders is just like everyone else in this country,” Dorian Baum, counsel for Gary Sider Sr., said. “And whatever you may think you know, or whatever you may have heard out, there is certainly only one side of the story. It’s only the story that’s been released by the state.”
A timeline of the allegations against the Siders family
31 March 2008
Gary Siders Jr, 18, and Elizabeth Siders, 15, are married in Mason County, West Virginia with the consent of Elizabeth’s parents. Marital records indicate Elizabeth's education topped at eighth grade, while Gary Siders Jr. left school after completing ninth grade.
30 May 2008
The couple’s eldest child is born. More children are born in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022 (twins), 2024 (twins), and 2025.
2021
The superintendent of the Gallia County Local Schools in southeast Ohio told WSAZ3 there are records from this year showing Gary Jr. and Elizabeth were parents with a local school at the time.
10 November 2022
Elizabeth Siders prematurely delivers conjoined twins, who die an hour after they are born. Named Faith Lee and Bailey Lee Siders, they were joined at the chest, face-to-face, according to birth certificates obtained by WCMH.
2022
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the Siders family moved to Vinton County, again in southeast Ohio, around this time.
23, 27, 29 and 31 May 2026
Court records show Gary Siders Jr. is accused of exposing himself on four separate occasions on these dates, WOWK reports.
30 June 2026
An arrest warrant is issued for Gary Siders Jr related to four alleged counts of public indecency.
Police attend the Siders’ home in relation to this investigation and find 16 children living in what police describe as deplorable conditions.
Authorities claim the children were confined to a 12-foot by 12-foot space for four years.
Gary Siders Sr, 73, Christina Siders, 67, Gary Siders Jr, 36, and Elizabeth Siders, 33, are arrested and charged with 16 counts of endangering children, second degree felonies. All have since entered not guilty pleas.
3 July 2026
In an interview with WSYX ABC 6, Elizabeth Siders’ lawyer Thomas Stolly said on meeting his client for the first time: “I met a woman who was timid and who was exhausted. It looked like she had been crying quite a bit. She looked distraught.”
When asked if Elizabeth is also a victim in the case, he says: “I don’t think she would classify herself as a victim.”
He says the initial coverage of conditions at the Siders’ home is ‘not the whole story’.
7 July 2026
All four of the defendants waive their right to a preliminary hearing, meaning the case will now go before a grand jury.
They will decide whether to indict the four accused family members.
On the same day, Gary Sr.’s legal team ask for his $300,000 bail to be waived. They argue it is excessive, saying the 73-year-old has ‘significant health issues’ and ‘very limited mobility’, and doesn’t have the capacity to post any bail money.
His lawyer, Dorian Keith Baum, says Gary Sr. ‘has denied any and all allegations against him’ and has ‘a vested interest… to clear his name’.
Baum also says he has concerns about Gary Sr’s competency to stand trial.
That day, Gary Sr. is transported to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens. If released from hospital, he will be required to wear a GPS monitor. His bond is changed to a recognizance bond, which means he doesn’t have to pay the money upfront.
8 July 2026
Vinton County prosecutor William Archer Jr. tells press that Gary Sr. 'has a serious medical condition that requires specialized care' that would 'potentially bankrupt Vinton County' if he'd remained in jail and the county had to pay for his care. Removing the 16 children from the Siders' home more than doubled the number of children in temporary care in Vinton County, putting further financial strain on local authorities.
Anish Vij